Profile for Mark in Oakland

Rosie O'Donnell has done more for the theater community than all of you little snobs combined. If you bothered to objectively evaluate her past theater work, you'd see that she certainly has the ability to give a memorable and probably fresh performance as Madame Thernardier. I for one am hoping against hope that Rosie does get the role and proves that the chronic & habitual nay-sayers among you don't know your alleged theatrical asses from your elbows.

I have saved the Playbill( and the program if not Playbill) for every Boradway and out of town show I have seen since May 1960. I'd estimate that they now number over a thousand and include most of the successful and "biggies" as well as many, many not so big or famous or successful. I also maintain a database of all the shows/concerts I've seen including relevant info. Obsessive-compulsive? YES!

My advice to you is to save your money & time & pass on seeing this absolutely DREADFUL show. It is truly Andrew Llloyd Webber's worst musical (I did like most of his others). Furthermore, It has been announced that Michael Ball will not be returning to the cast before the show rightfully closes. Instead, go see something memorable/enjoyable like "Sweeney Todd" or "Jersey Boys" or "Light In The Piazza".

My advice to you is to save your money & time & pass on seeing this absolutely DREADFUL show. It is truly Andrew Llloyd Webber's worst musical (I did like most of his others). Furthermore, It has been announced that Michael Ball will noty be returning to the cast before the show rightfully closes. Instead, go see something memorable/enjoyable like "Sweeney Todd" or "Jersey Boys" or "Light In The Piazza".

Check out Sean McDermott's 2 Broadway-themed CDs. He's quite good.

Check out Sean McDermott's 2 Broadway-themed CDs. He's quite good.

I too was at today's matinee of "Lestat" & I regret to say that I did not find much to like in the show. I thought that Hugh Panaro, while having a wonderful singing voice, was not very credible in his acting of the role & his physical appearance. One factor was that, from the moment the curtain rose, I frequently felt that I was watching Favio (the supposedly sexy Italian model with the long hair) playing Lestat. Hugh's long, phony-looking blond hair was most distracting and seemed very inco...

I saw Jersey Boys in November 2 days after it opened & they didn't do any BC/EFA collections at the theater. Neither did they have any collections at Sweeney Todd a couple of days later.

FYI: The 1975 Broadway version of "Yentl" starring Tovah Feldshuh & John Shea was NOT a musical - it was a play.

How about a dshort-lived musical titled"The Knife" starring Mandy Patinkin & Mary Elizabeth Mastantonio (Public Newman Theatre, 1987.

A friend of mine who has tix for the Tues 11/8 preview of "The Color Purple" has been advised by Telecharge that the performance has been cancelled. Does anyone know the reason for the cancellation and whether any other previews of the show have been cancelled?

According to Stubs magazine, the seating capacity for the Public Anspacher Theatre is 275.

If you are at all picky or concerned about sound quality, I wouldn't recommend iTunes as a source for your shpw tunes. The song files you get from them are in AAC format, which are smaller in size and, therefore, have much diminished fidelity. They won;t sound very good if you play them through a home stereo system - they are really meant to be listened to through an iPod-like player.

In NY State (and in other states as well), it is ILLEGAL to take photos in any theater, period. It doesn't matter what the composition of the photo is - it is the act of taking a photo that is against the law. The problem seems to be that the law is not enforced uniformly and/or not all theater employees (i.e. ushers) are knowledgeable about it or even want to be an "enforcer". Personally, I find the taking of photos in theaters (as well as flash photos in restaurants and other confined space...

Earlier today, after reading this thread, I submitted a listing correction on Amazon.com pointing out that, reportedly, no Original Broadway Cast recording has been made of CCBB. I just checked their web site listing and, lo and behold, they actually made the correction and took the "Broadway" out & now list it simply as "Original Cast Recording". This thread & message board has taught me a lesson: don't be naive and believe everything I read on Amazon.com (as well as on other merchants' web ...

It seems doubtful that Amazon.com would be taking orders for a CD that hasn't been recorded (i.e. with the Original BROADWAY cast).

Amazon.com has a listing for an Original Broadway Cast recording of Chitty to be released Nov 8th.

I may be wrong, but it seems like several shows are performing on Monday evenings during their previews period, & then reverting to a Monday dark schedule once they open. My guess is that they do this because there are very few other shows performing on Mondays so there's less competition for an audience.

Does anyone have any advance word on "The Drowsy Chaperone" with Sutton Foster & Georgia Engel at LA's Ahmanson? I've got 2 tix for a Sat mat in December but may be cancelling my trip to LA if it's not worth the 400+ mile drive. Thanx!

For all the Linda Eder fans who are interested: I just received an email from the Broadway/LA people who are handling ticket sales for Linda's concert at the Wilshire Theatre on 12/10/05. The ticket on-sale date for the general public has been pushed back until Sunday 11/6 @ 10am (it had previously been announced as being one week earlier on 10/30). -------------------- Mark "Life is a musical comedy. I just hope the second act is as good as the first..."